The African RenaissanceMonument

DID YOU KNOW THAT: The African Renaissance

Monument in Senegal is the tallest statue in Africa?

Wiki says of the monument: The African

Renaissance Monument (French: Le Monument de

la Renaissance Africaine) is a 49m tall bronze statue

located on top of one of the twin hills known as

Collines des Mamelles, outside of Dakar, Senegal.

Built overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the Ouakam

suburb, the statue was designed by the Senegalese

architect Pierre Goudiaby after an idea presented

by president Abdoulaye Wade and built by

Mansudae Overseas Projects, a company from

North Korea. Site preparation on top of the 100-

meter high hill began in 2006, and construction of

the bronze statue began 3 April 2008. Originally

scheduled for completion in December 2009,

delays stretched into early 2010, and the formal

dedication occurred on 4 April 2010, Senegal's

"National Day", commemorating the 50th

anniversary of the country's independence from

France. It is the tallest statue in Africa.

The monument is made of 3-centimetre thick metal

sheets and depicts a family group emerging from a

mountaintop: a full-length statue of a young

woman, a man, and held aloft on the man's raised

left arm, a child resolutely pointing west towards

the sea.